The distributor of VALOR chocolates provided ample samples of Sugarfree and No Sugar Added Chocolates.  I’ve taken the opportunity to share these chocolates with guests as we skip Halloween by riding the Thanksgiving celebrations of Canada (October 12) and US Thanksgiving (November 26) with our new theme,

“Daily Thanksgiving is good for the heart.”

We’ve been giving them away to many guests for many days but last night, as I chatted with two ladies from CCF and my staff Krisha handed them their chocolates, when  I read the word “Valor” on the chocolate square, I shared with them what I remembered from Beth Moore’s Esther study that in Proverbs 31 where it says a wife of noble character who can find?, Beth says that the wordnoble has the same root as the wordvalorwhen Gideon was told “you mighty man of valor. [It’s only today I realized it was Gideon; last night I thought it was Elijah before I reviewed from the bible].  It is a call for COURAGE.  Both for the wife and Gideon.

At the time Gideon was declared a mighty man of valor(NKJV), Gideon was absolutely not being a mighty man of valor.  He was in a passing state of feeling defeated, disillusioned, discouraged, forsaken, far inadequate, inherently genetically weakest.  But he was labeled by what he would become after God would work in him AND very importantly, after Gideon obeyed God despite his feelings. God through His Word assured him of His presence and victory.  Gideon obeyed and saw God’s faithfulness.

So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the Lord had said to him (Judges 6:27) before he succeeded in God’s task for him. (Judges 8:28)

In 1Peter 3 on the well-known but unpopular call for wives to submit to husbands in the same way as slaves submit to unreasonable masters, citing that it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God and that the example Jesus left for us to follow is that when He was insulted, He did not retaliate because He entrusted Himself to God who judges justly, God is the Protector, Avenger, Defender, Advocate to whom Vengeance belongs; the person who does not take revenge knows the impact of leaving room for God’s wrath.

Again a call for courage :

One of the hindrances for wives to submit, is the fear of being taken advantage of.

“Exactly!… Abuse…”

Kata Inocencio said that when you do the right thing as unto God, you give God permission to deal with the disobedient.

Here’s something wives can hold on to from God’s Word…  God will not listen to prayers of a husband who does not treat his wife right.

1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

One of the two ladies last night said,

“I don’t know how we ended up talking about this but this is exactly my struggle. Is it OK to submit but be so gigil [something like “angry inside on the threshold of imaginarily choking this person”]?”

If we submit outwardly but inwardly are angry, are we pleasing God? Pastor Peter used to say, A parent might tell a child “sit down.” And the child sits down but says in his mind he’s saying,  “I’m sitting down but in my mind I’m standing up.” Is that submission?

“But I feel like I am a hypocrite.”

Deonna talked to me about that. She said,

“You’re not being a hypocrite. Your you are behaving in the way God called you according to who he wants you to be. When you feel like you are being a hypocrite that’s Satan the Accuser who accuses the brethren day and night. He’s telling you “You’re not submissive you’re just pretending. That’s not who you are. Stop trying.  Your real self is not submissive” Satan is hindering you from becoming who God wants you to be.

In 2 Cor 5:17 it says”He who is in Christ is a new creation; the old has gone the new is here.” God is making us new every day so even when we are not naturally submissive, in Christ, we become new.

“But it’s hard.”

Yes it’s VERY hard. Well, actually, Pastor Peter says it’s not hard… but impossible… Apart from Christ we can do nothing good.   But in Christ we can do all things through him who strengthens us.

“But I can think.  I am capable. I can be independent.”

That’s probably why God made it a command; otherwise it’s hard to choose just because.  But when you reach that point when you surrender everything to God, you trust that He is all-knowing and we are limited, you are trusting He has your best interest at heart and He sees all things, submitting can come. Sometimes it’s a test for us.  God appointed the husband to be in that position we are called to submit to.  Whether or not at the time, he seems worthy of submission.  Submitting is a choice to obey God and trusting Him for the results [I just reread Gina Rodriguez’s story].  We will not be made to account for other people’s choices but we will need to account for our own choice… did we obey or not?

“But’s he’s supposed to be loving [ as the husband]

Who do you think is called to change first?

The wife

But God is the Rewarder.

And it all started with a VALOR chocolate square.